November 2026
Finding Grace in the Golden Days of November
As the autumn air crisps, the leaves finish their descent, and the days grow shorter, November invites us into a sacred pause. In the rush of the secular calendar— which often leaps straight from Halloween to a frantic holiday shopping sprint— the church calendar offers a different rhythm.
In November, we stand at a threshold. We honor All Saints Sunday, remembering those who have gone before us marked with the cross of Christ, trusting that they rest in God's eternal promise. We move through a month of intentional reflection, culminating in Thanksgiving, before the blue and purple candles of Advent begin to glow on the horizon.
Rooted in Grace and Gratitude
As an ELCA congregation, our theology is rooted first and foremost in God’s unconditional grace. We do not manufacture gratitude out of a sense of obligation; rather, gratitude is our natural response to the Creator who holds us, feeds us, and frees us to love our neighbor.
Psalm 100 reminds us: “Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come into his presence with singing.”
This November, as you gather around tables—whether large or small, quiet or rowdy—we encourage you to look for the quiet manifestations of God's grace in your daily life:
• A warm cup of coffee on a frosty morning.
• A phone call from an old friend.
• The fellowship shared across the aisle during Sunday morning worship.
Looking Ahead to Our Common Life
November is also a season of stewardship and transition. As we look at our church budget, our upcoming annual meetings, and our service projects heading into the winter months, thank you for the ways you give of your time, your talents, and your financial support. Everything we do—from feeding our community to welcoming all people just as God created them—is made possible because you choose to show up and share.
May your November be blessed with quiet moments of wonder, deep breaths of peace, and a heart wide open to giving and receiving grace.
NOVEMBER VOLUNTEERS
SUPPLY
Nov 1 – Richard Echelberger
Nov 8 – Mike Knipp with LSI
Nov 15 – Pastor Mike Kroona
Nov 22 – Joel De Boer
Nov 29 – Pastor John Sheahan
USHERS ALTAR GUILD
Brad & Kim Brinkman Tammy Klatt
Jean Swanson
DEACON BREAD BAKER
Tammy Klatt Cheryl Jass
SUNDAY SCHOOL SINGS The kids will be singing during the Nov 1 service!
COMMUNION Sunday, November 15th & November 29th (on the floor & at the rail)
COUNCIL MEETING Wednesday, November 4th – 6:00 p.m.
FREE COMMUNITY MEAL
Wednesday, November 18th from 5:30-6:30 p.m.
Menu: hot beef sundaes/sandwiches
Corn/dessert
ALL ARE WELCOME
Prayer requests for Pat Meek, Louise Anderson, Brad Brinkman, Kris Stein, all our homebound and care center members. A special prayer to our farmers for a safe and productive harvest.
FIRST LUTHERAN CHURCH COUNCIL MEETING
OCTOBER 7, 2026
An approval of the agenda as presented was made by Mary Anderson and seconded by Tammy Klatt. Motion carried. 10 members were present.
DEVOTIONS: Larry Klatt, Vice-President Larry read a prayer to open the meeting.
PRESIDENT’S REPORT:
Kathy Thelke was absent, so Larry Klatt reported that the service project that the CGD school had planned in the Spring here in Dows with high school teens is not going to take place.
SECRETARY’S REPORT: Jeanne Russell
Jeanne read the minutes from the September 2nd meeting. A motion to accept the secretary’s report for September 2nd was made by Mary Anderson and seconded by Bev Weidemann. Motion carried.
TREASURER REPORT: Shelly Howard
Shelly reported that the bills are being paid. A motion to approve of the report was made by Jean Swanson and seconded by David Ziesmann. Motion carried.
DEACON’S REPORT: Deacons said that the members that they call on are receiving communion monthly along with visits.
TRUSTEE REPORT: Larry Klatt will check with Leland Wenzel on where the snow removal will be piled this winter. Covering the AC in the Pastor’s office will be taken care of by Loren Lienemann.
STEWARDSHIP REPORT: Tammy and Larry Klatt
Tammy reported that a link to view the video from the NEIA Synod office that was done by Pastor Brackett back in May, with the changes to our profile that need to be done, will be ready to view soon.
OLD BUSINESS:
Bethlehem Garage Sale Date: Jenny Vrba reported that the Parish Board of Ed will plan a lunch, pizza, ice cream, and rehearsal for the program and the garage sale on December 19th, (Saturday).
Confirmation: Pictures will be taken of confirmands this weekend, Oct. 11th. Paraments will need to be changed to red. Confirmation will be on October 25th. Faith statements will be done this week by Madi & Ainsley. Corsages will be bought by Jean Swanson.
Other Old Business: None
NEW BUSINESS:
Stain Glass Window: Maynard Agena has taken care of the window in question by filling in the cracks.
God’s Work, Our Hands Project for 2027: Shelly will gather all the information we need to put together “School Kits” and “Personal Care Kits” in 2027.
Good Samaritan Fund: Shelly reported that the Good Samaritan Fund’s balance is currently $454.63. Discussion was held on how we should continue funding it in the future. It will be a topic of discussion at our next Annual Meeting in January.
Other New Business:
A group of Dows citizens are working hard right now on getting the ambulance service back and running again in Dows. A fundraiser with a dinner and pie auction is scheduled for December 13th at the Dows Convention Center. Please mark your calendars to attend that important fund raiser for our community.
A motion to adjourn the meeting was made by Mary Anderson and seconded by Jean Swanson. Motion carried.
We all closed with the Lord’s Prayer.
Submitted by,
Jeanne Russell Council Secretary
HARVEST FESTIVAL
On Sunday, November 15th we will celebrate our annual Harvest Festival. Special offering envelopes will be available in the narthex for use on this day. The offering will be divided equally between the Dows Grocery Store, Crème de la Crème and the Dows Senior Citizens. As always, if you have something other than these three organizations that you would like to contribute to, please mark your check accordingly. If you need an envelope, please let the office know.
After worship we will gather in the basement for a potluck meal. Tableware and drinks will be provided. Please bring a dish to share. Then after lunch we will gather to sign Christmas cards that will be delivered to the local care centers. We hope you will join us in the giving and sharing of our gifts.
DONATIONS NEEDED
Once again, this year we will be having the Bethlehem Garage Sale and a goodie bag for Christmas Eve. Boxes for donations will be placed in the narthex soon. For the garage sale, we are looking for gently used items so that the kids can come and shop for their families and friends. We especially need items for men.
For the Christmas Eve bags we need items that are individually wrapped, be it candy, fruit snacks, granola bars, popcorn, etc. We greatly appreciate all donations and now is a great time to get a deal on Halloween candy!
FUNDRAISERS
St. Mary Catholic Church in Williams will have their Fall Festival on Sunday, November 1st. A drive thru take out only meal consisting of chicken & noodles, meat loaf, real mashed potatoes, home frozen corn, salads and pie can be purchased for $15/meal. Please enter the church parking lot from the east side and follow the signs.
Rowan Gospel Music Show will be held at the Dows Convention Center on Sunday, November 1st starting at 1:30 p.m. Soup and sandwich supper following the show. Free will offering with proceeds to the Rowan & Dows Historical Societies.
The Dows Methodist Church will hold their annual Turkey Dinner at the Dows Legion Hall on Sunday, November 8th from 11:00-1:00. Free will offering. Dine-in or drive thru the alley.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Yes, it is hard to believe, but as our year is ending, we begin the hunt for folks who would LOVE to serve on the church council. The following positions will need to be filled to have a full ballot: Vice-President, Secretary, 2 Deacons, 1 Trustee, 1 Parish Board of Ed member and 1 Auditor. If you feel called to serve, please let the office of any of the current council members know.
SUNDAY SCHOOL
In case you missed it on a different page in this newsletter, the Sunday school kids will be singing during the worship service on Sunday, November 1st . Let’s fill the pews and show our appreciation for all they have learned so far this year.
GOD’S WORK. OUR HANDS. 2027
As you may have read in the October minutes, the council approved our service project for next year’s “God’s Work. Our Hands,” Sunday. (We will try and not have it interfere with the Rowan chicken BBQ!) Below you will find the list of items that we will be collecting to assemble School kits and Personal care kits. We thought that we could start collecting items throughout the year and see if we can’t beat the 78 kits we put together this year! Starting in November you will see a tote in the narthex for your donations. There will also be cards that you can grab that will have both lists on them. Put one in your pocket or purse when you shop. We thank you in advance for your donations!
INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING IN EACH SCHOOL KIT
FOUR 70-sheet notebooks of wide- or college-ruled paper, approximately 8” x 10 1⁄2”; no loose leaf paper
ONE 30-centimeter ruler, or a ruler with centimeters on one side and inches on the other
ONE pencil sharpener
ONE pair of blunt scissors (safety scissors with embedded steel blades work well)
FIVE unsharpened #2 pencils with erasers; secure together with a rubber band
FIVE black or blue ballpoint pens (no gel ink); secure together with a rubber band
ONE box of 16 or 24 crayons
ONE 2 1⁄2” eraser
ONE sturdy drawstring backpack-style cloth bag, approximately 14”
x 17” with shoulder straps (no standard backpacks)
INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING IN EACH PERSONAL CARE KIT
ONE light-weight bath-size towel (between 20” x 40” and 52” x 27”), dark color recommended
TWO or three bath-size bars of soap equaling 8 to 9 oz., any brand, in original wrapping
ONE adult-size toothbrush in its original packaging* (multi-packs are fine, we will split later)
ONE sturdy comb, remove packaging
ONE metal nail clippers (attached file optional)
Please do not donate items with any religious symbols, military symbols or with a U.S. flag.
Here is a picture of the drawstring bags. They don’t have to be exactly like this, just wanted to show something for a reference.
As far as we know, drawstring bags can have advertising, just nothing military or religious.